Moths of North Carolina

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Amphipyra pyramidoides Guenée, 1852 - Copper Underwing

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Amphipyrinae

Tribe:
Amphipyrini

P3 Number:
931544

MONA Number:
9638.00

Other Common Names:
American Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra, Humped Green Fruitworm

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Wingspan: 38-52 mm (Covell, 1984)

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Occurs statewide

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Wagner et al. (2011) list woodlands and forests as habitats used by this species. Our records come from nearly all types of hardwood-dominated habitats, from maritime forests to high elevation oak forests and northern hardwoods.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are widely polyphagous, feeding on hardwood trees, shrubs, and vines belonging to many families. Wagner (2005) specifically lists maple (Acer), hickory (Carya), chestnut (Castanea), hawthorn (Crataegus), walnut (Juglans), apple (Malus), Virginia Creeper, poplar (Populus), cherry (Prunus), oak (Quercus), Rhododendron, currant (Ribes), greenbriers (Smilax), American Basswood, blueberry (Vaccinium), Viburnum, and grape (Vitis). In North Carolina, we have recorded larvae feeding on maple (Acer sp.), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), American Plum (Prunus americana), Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia), Water Oak (Quercus nigra), and Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum). - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Amphipyra pyramidoides - Copper Underwing

162 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-19 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-10 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-04 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-03 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-21 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-21 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-18 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-18 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-07 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-07 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-11-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-11-05 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-11-04 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-11-01 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-30 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-13 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-28 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-27 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-09-23 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-22 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-09-18 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-09-09 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-08-29 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-08-29 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-08-29 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-26 Madison Co. Comment: